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Summary description Female sex hormones, or sex steroids, play crucial roles in sexual development, sexual desire, and reproduction. They also influence body weight and hair, bone, and muscle growth.
Hormones are chemical messengers that the endocrine glands produce and release into the bloodstream. Hormones help regulate many bodily processes, such as appetite, sleep, and growth.
Sex hormones are those that play an essential role in sexual development and reproduction. The main glands that produce sex hormones are the adrenal glands and the gonads, which include the ovaries in females and testes in males.
Sex hormones are also important for a range of bodily functions and a person’s general health. In both males and females, sex hormones are involved in:
- puberty and sexual development
- reproduction
- sexual desire
- regulating bone and muscle growth
- inflammatory responses
- regulating cholesterol levels
- promoting hair growth
- body fat distribution
Sex hormone levels fluctuate throughout a person’s life. Factors that can affect the levels of female sex hormones include:
- age
- menstruation
- pregnancy
- menopause
- stress
- medications
- environment
Sex hormone imbalances can lead to changes in sexual desire and health problems such as hair loss, bone loss, and infertility.
In females, the ovaries and adrenal glands are the main producers of sex hormones. Female sex hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and small quantities of testosterone.
We discuss each of these sex hormones below:
Estrogen is probably the most well-known sex hormone.
Although the majority of estrogen production occurs in the ovaries, the adrenal glands and fat cells produce small amounts of estrogen, too. Estrogen plays a crucial role in reproductive and sexual development, which begins when a person reaches puberty.
The ovaries, adrenal glands, and placenta produce the hormone progesterone. Progesterone levels increase during ovulation and spike during pregnancy.
Progesterone helps stabilize menstrual cycles and prepares the body for pregnancy. Having a low level of progesterone can lead to irregular periods, difficulty conceiving, and a higher risk of complications during pregnancy.
Although testosterone is the main sex hormone in males, it is also present in lower amounts in females.
In females, testosterone affects:
- fertility
- sexual desire
- menstruation
- tissue and bone mass
- red blood cell production